EPA issues $230K fine against Oakland companies for hazardous waste transport

Updated on: June 9, 2023 / 9:31 AM / CBS/Bay City News Service

OAKLAND – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday a settlement that will issue $230,000 in fines for two companies for alleged failures to meet hazardous waste regulations for work in the East Bay.

The fines target NRC Environmental Services and Oakland Power Company LLC. NRC is a company that offers hazardous waste disposal and response services and was hired by Oakland Power, which operates a jet fuel-fired combustion turbine peaker power plant in Oakland.

The fines stem from an April 2020 violation when Oakland Power hired NRC to remove and dispose of tank bottom water from a jet fuel tank. NRC transported three tanker trucks to the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) for disposal as non-hazardous waste. Instead, EBMUD staff sampled a truck and found characteristics of hazardous waste, including elevated levels of benzene and other chemicals.

An EPA investigation revealed that this violated the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act , which is designed to protect the environment by requiring the safe storage and disposal of hazardous waste.

"The unlawful transportation of hazardous waste is a clear risk to human health and the environment," said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman in a press release.

In addition to the fines, California-based employees will complete training on hazardous waste regulations.

Officials with NRC Environmental Services were not immediately available to comment on the settlement.

First published on June 9, 2023 / 12:33 PM

© 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Bay City News Service contributed to this report.